Roger Miller Biography

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Roger Miller
Pop Music | 3 CD Set
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If Roger Miller came to his humorous style of country-inflected music out of frustration, it was a wise move, considering the dozen hits he made as a pop artist besides the country success he had. Born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1936, Miller was raised from infancy by an aunt and uncle in Erick, Oklahoma on a cotton and chicken farm after his father died. He listened to country music on the radio and while learning to play guitar and banjo was encouraged by country comic Sheb Wooley, who was part of the extended family. Another fortuitous connection came while he was in the Army after the Korean War. His sergeant was the brother of Jethro of the famed Homer and Jethro (Kenneth Burns). Miller got an audition in Nashville but failed, eventually, however, gaining studio work. He played fiddle in Minnie Pearl's band and was a drummer in Faron Young's backup band, these connections certainly giving Miller a peek at what success in country music was. He was also writing songs: Ray Price had a minor hit with "Invitation To the Blues" and Andy Williams dittoed later with Miller's "(In the Summertime) You Don't Want Love." Then Roger had some success with his own recording of "When Two Worlds Collide." But he apparently became frustrated with Nashville and his not being taken seriously as a solo act, so off he went to Hollywood, where pop success was to come in the form of humor. Between 1964-68, he had a dozen hits in the Top 40 chart, including five in the Top 10 in 1964-65. His first was one of his classics, "Dang Me," followed months later by "Chug-A-Lug" and then his biggest hit, "King Of the Road," which scored No. 4. "Dang Me" won five Grammys in 1964 and "King of the Road" six in 1965. His "Little Green Apples" was his finale on the Billboard Top 40 as it made it to No. 39 in 1968. Miller may have had a deep interest in country but his style was more California than Nashville, which was heading into the more subdued "New" Nashville sound. His lyrics, whether comedic or serious, if ironic, were popular with a mainstream audience and he remained popular with other projects until his 1992 death from cancer. He recorded an album, OLD FRIENDS, with Willie Nelson and Ray Price in 1982, his vocals were heard in Disney's "Robin Hood," and during the '80s he had success with his score for a Broadway musical based on Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" called "Big River."

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